Promises and Empty Words
by VegasGirl09
Summary: Julie gets invited to speak at a forensic conference. She brings John Merchiston, whom she's been dating since recovering from her coma. When tragedy strikes the conference, old wounds are opened and new ones cut deeper, testing Julie once again as she is thrown into the violent world of a serial killer.
1. Chapter 1

"Slow down love," he called to her while walking and looking down at his phone.

Julie turned on her heel to look back at John who was slowly making his way down the hallway and called to him "Hurry up!" waving frantically for him.

John smiled at how anxious she was to get to their hotel room. But he was also cautious of her as she continued on down the hallway of one of Vegas' nicest hotels by herself. Ever since her recovery from the coma, he had taken to spending an enormous amount of time with her but on her terms. Her survival had been a miracle and a blessing to him because it gave him the courage to say how he really felt about her, which was more love than she knew what to do with. But out of respect for her boundaries and vulnerability post coma, he kept his distance, working on stories for his editor but always being a plane ride away if she wanted to see him. So when she invited him to the Forensic Academy Conference where she was a guest speaker on blood spatter analysis, he jumped at the chance to spend some quality time with her. However, a looming deadline from Susan, his editor, threatened to ruin this special occasion, but he would try his best not to let anything get in the way of a chance to spoil Julie and shower her with love and attention she deserved.

His slow pace irritated her and she had to double back down the hallway, grab his hand and drag him to their hotel room. When they were both outside it, she swiped the key card through the slot and pushed open the door excitedly. The room was a large open concept. A giant bed with fluffy pillows filled most of the space. There was a mini bar, a spa like bathroom and a giant flat screen TV. Julie glanced up at John to see his reaction to the room which was just as she hoped. He wore a look of shock and awe at the luxury that surrounded him.

"See?" she said smugly "told you it was nice."

"It's beautiful," he said looking at her rather than the room.

"Come see the view," she begged, dragging him by the wrist over to the tall windows that surrounded the room.

She pulled back the curtains so they could see the city below. She sighed watching the city bustle beneath them, a place she never expected to fall in love with but had claimed her heart not long after arriving. John stood beside her, breaking the silence by asking "So what time is the conference?"

"Two o'clock I think," she said not taking her eyes off the city below.

John had to consult the pamphlet in her travel bag to know for sure.

"Yep, two," he read out loud to her "what should we do while we wait?"

She didn't answer him right away; she just continued to stare out the window.

"Jules?" he tried getting her attention.

She looked at him properly and asked "Can we just, stay here?"

"Of course," he said worried that she might not be feeling well but didn't want to tell him. So he stood behind her, hugging her tight and swaying with her gently while they watched the active city below.


	2. Waiting For My Love

Chapter 2 : Waiting For My Love

They couldn't spend all day in that hotel room, though they would gladly have had it not been for the conference. Julie's nerves began to make her jumpy as she got dressed and prepared her notes and slideshow on her laptop for her presentation. She paced the room, her high heels clicking on the floor, reading her note cards under her breath. John watched her pace and felt a pang of sympathy for her. He abandoned his spot on the bed and went to her, stopping her pacing by placing his hands on her shoulders.

"Relax," he soothed "you're going to be great."

"You think so?" she asked piercing him with a worried look "I mean, I know blood, that's easy, but getting up there to speak in front of everyone is just so, scary."

She shuddered at the thought.

"I know," he said "it's terrifying, but I'll be right in the front row, so just focus on me when you get up there, o.k.?"

"Okay," she agreed meekly.

"And if that doesn't work," he added "just picture everyone in their underwear."

She smirked at that thought, which he knew she would because getting her to laugh or at least smile wasn't difficult. Plus it benefited him greatly to be able to see her beautiful smile, especially when he thought he had lost her forever during her coma.

"We should go," she said noticing the time now.

He nodded and turned to gather up her laptop case so she wouldn't have to carry it. He held open the door for her and held her hand while they walked down the hallway and back to the elevators that would take them to the lobby and special rooms set aside for the conference.

"Such a gentlemen," she teased him as he held her hand when they exited the elevators and started walking through the crowded lobby.

"So I've been told," he said pausing to kiss her then ask "do you know which room you're in?"

"Who cares?" she standing on her toes to kiss him again.

His cell phone ringing interrupted their moment. He broke the kiss to see who was calling but it was only a text. He sighed and rapidly fired back a reply.

"Is she bugging you again?" Julie asked incredulously.

"Yes, I'm so sorry love," John said hating how his job got in the way of spending time with her so often. "But you know Susan, she's a shark, she won't take no for an answer when it comes to this story, drives me insane sometimes, but she means well."

"It's a great story," Julie said recalling a late night in bed with him in which he read to her a rough draft of his latest work "you worked really hard on it."

"I just hope it's enough for Susan," John said worriedly, pocketing his phone and focusing his attention on Julie now.

He held her hand again and led her through the lobby to the check in table where they received their ID lanyards for the conference and Julie could find which room she was in.

"Conference room D," she read off the list "oh no, I'm first?!"

She scanned the list to be sure but her name was right at the top of the list, first lecture of the afternoon.

"Well we better hurry," he said guiding her to the fourth room down the hall from the check in table.

Julie had fifteen minutes to set up her presentation on the small platform stage that was raised up a little from the crowd and chairs below. As promised, John sat right up front but that did nothing to calm her nerves as conference attendees began to file into the room, filling it to capacity and making her stomach knot into nerves again. Luckily, someone else was in charge of the event, so the announcer ordered everyone to their seats so the presentation could begin. The announcer however made her wait off stage so he could announce her. Julie didn't know where to stand so she went back to John. He was texting Susan again when he felt a presence next to him. He glanced up to see Julie beside him looking tense.

"What's wrong?" he asked worriedly.

"They want to announce me," she said twisting her hands together nervously.

John couldn't help but smile at her and how unaware she was that this was something to celebrate. But her fear of public speaking always got to her so he stood up to stand next to her while they waited. Julie barely heard the announcer describing her work before calling her name, his voice echoing through the room magnified by the microphone. Julie looked at John with fearful eyes, unable to move. He kissed her and said "Go get em" which seemed to be the confidence boost she needed to slowly amble up to the stage while the crowd cheered for her.

Julie's presentation was superb. She paced the stage but with confidence, not nerves. She felt powerful as she commanded the room's attention. She demonstrated the different types of blood spatter patterns and what each one indicated. She used colored paint on white paper to show them the different velocity patterns. Her case for reference was her very first one in Vegas, the Perez case that started her journey to where she was now.

"So in short, blood can be the best evidence in your case," she concluded "analyzing it properly and interpreting the results correctly can be a major break through in your investigation, I hope you have gained better insights into the field and thank you for your time today."

The crowd applauded her again and she sighed, relived that it was over. She started to pack up her laptop and notes but was bombarded with curious questions from conference goers. John hung back to watch her speak with various CSI's and techs from other cities and states. When they began to disperse around her and mingle out on the conference room floor, he approached the stage to help her clean up.

"That was brilliant," he praised her.

"Oh thank you," she sighed packing up her laptop into its case "I was so nervous, but they seemed to like it."

"They loved you," John said getting closer to her "and it's all over, now we can relax, check out more seminars-

"Or just, stay in bed all day," she suggested to his delight wanting nothing more than to relax after the stressful afternoon.

She closed the distance between them in one step and kissed him. A loud bang echoed loudly throughout the room. It made them both jump and separate, searching for the source of it. Another loud bang cracked through the air seconds later and they both recognized it as gunfire. John reached for Julie's hand and started to pull her towards the door when a third shot exploded into the air right in front of them and he fell back, his hand slipping from hers.

"John," she cried out for him, dropping to her knees beside him on the stage and watching, horrified as blood began to pool from his shoulder.


	3. Drowned Out By Silence

Chapter 3 Drowned Out By Silence

Julie could hear people screaming out in the hallway but all her attention was focused on John who was bleeding from his shoulder. She couldn't see if a bullet had pierced him all the way through, there was too much blood. She grabbed the grey sweater she had stuffed in her purse prior to leaving the hotel room, bunched it up and pressed it firmly to his wound hoping that would stop the bleeding.

"Jules," he called to her weakly.

"No," she cried back, fighting back tears "don't, just, stay still."

She was shaking as she searched around for the source of the shooting but saw no one running away with a gun nor heard any more shots being fired. The announcer who had helped with her presentation and witnessed the shooting had crawled out from his hiding place behind a pillar that held up the lights for the stage.

"I called for help," he told her "what the hell just happened?"

"I don't know," Julie cried to him "did you see anything?"

The announcer shook his head as two paramedics came charging into the conference room with medical kits and a stretcher.

"What happened?" the first medic demanded roughly.

"I don't know," Julie cried helplessly again "there was a shot, no, three, one hit John."

"Where's the shooter?" the other medic asked while tending to John's wound.

"There wasn't- I didn't see-"Julie stammered incoherently "just help him please"

"We need to transport him," the first medic said "Desert Palm Hospital, he may need surgery."

"Surgery?" Julie whimpered feeling her stomach twist with nerves as the medics lifted John onto the stretcher and wheeled him out of the room.

Julie was rooted to the spot on the stage unsure what to do next. She folded her arms, shaking still, thoughts of John and what might happen to him racing through her mind. She managed to shake them and reach for her cell phone in her purse to call the only person who might be able to help her now. As she hovered a finger over the speed dial for Russell's number, her phone screen lit up with an incoming call. Though she didn't recognize the number, she answered it in a panic.

"This is Julie," she answered her voice cracking when she spoke.

" _CSI Finlay,"_ a chilling robotic voice spoke making her heart drop into her stomach _"consider this your first warning, ignore me again and more blood will be shed, now tell me, who am I_?" 

Her hand gripped her phone tightly, fear shooting through her, her mind drawing a blank.

"I don't know," she cried "what do you want?"

" _You know_ ," the voice taunted her _"blood is thicker than water."_

But that only confused her more. She trembled, wracking her brain for any potential threats or people who might try and harm her or John and then, she remembered back to a year ago, sitting on a bomb in her car, being pulled from it by the grace of God, then being told by Russell about a caller with a weird voice who forced him into admitting his worst fear, then it clicked. She couldn't help but sob as she uttered, begrudgingly, terrified into the phone "You're the Gig Harbor Killer."

" _Very good,"_ the voice hissed before hanging up with a sharp ping of lines disconnecting.

Julie dropped her phone back into her purse as if it were on fire and glanced rapidly around the room. But it was empty. There were no other conference members, and the announcer had fled into the hallway _. How could it be?_ She wondered, her heart pounding violently in her chest, Paul Winthrop was in jail, Jared Briscoe was dead and every other known associate with them was dead. Was this someone's idea of a sick joke? Then how did they get her number? These questions exploded in her head like fireworks and she knew she had to get out of here and someplace safe.

"John," she remembered now racing out to the hallway.

Security guards for the hotel were escorting people out of the lobby. She darted through the crowd to get outside to her car where she drove to Desert Palm Hospital praying she wasn't too late.


	4. Shock Treament

Chapter 4 Shock Treatment

Julie managed to carry herself on shaky legs through the emergency room doors of Desert Palm Hospital, amble up to the front desk and say in a quiet whisper "John."

The nurse behind the desk raised an eyebrow at her, suspiciously.

"John Merchiston," Julie clarified "he was shot at the forensic conference; they said they were bringing him here."

"Are you family?" the nurse challenged.

"No," Julie said hopelessly, tears pooling in her eyes knowing she had no power here "we were- I'm his girlfriend."

Saying it out loud to a stranger felt odd but also invigorating.

"He's in surgery," the nurse informed her "fourth floor, there's a waiting room up there."

"Thank you," Julie cried gratefully making her way to the elevator.

On the fourth floor, an OR nurse dictated Julie to the designated waiting area and told her that a doctor would be out to speak with her when they finished. All Julie could do now was collapse in one of the tiny chairs, her purse and laptop case sliding clumsily off her aching shoulder having only had time to grab those possessions before fleeing to be with John. The robotic voice began to echo in her head now that she was alone on this silent floor. _Gig Harbor_ , she said to herself over and over, _how, how?_

"Russell," she said out loud now thinking of him and how he needed to know what just happened. She reluctantly reached for her cell phone again and called him. But it went straight to voicemail so she tearfully sobbed into the phone "D.B its Jules, something happened at the conference, John's hurt, I- I think it's Gig Harbor again, please call me, I'm at the hospital now, fourth floor, and I don't know what to do, please."

She hung up with him, covering her hand over her mouth fearing she had left him too startling a message and wishing she could take it back.

An hour of nothing but silence went by. Not a single nurse or doctor had approached her with any sort of news, good or bad. She noticed her once gorgeous dress now covered in blood, _his_ blood and it made her shake again. Her knees shook the worst and she tensed up, trying to make the shaking go away. She was staring at a grey spot on the wall across from her, her eyes itching and watery, wanting so badly to close them but fearing what would happen if she did. Finally, a voice she longed to hear called to her softly "Jules?"

She looked up and Russell was there. But she couldn't bring herself to rise from the chair.

"Jules," he said kneeling in front of her "are you o.k?"

She tried to speak but her voice caught in her throat.

"Jules," he tried again, reaching up to touch her cheek and gently wipe away a speck of blood "come on, talk to me."

"It's him," she finally uttered "Gig Harbor, he found me, us, I don't know how or why or- John."

She paused, unable to continue as her heart began to race, pounding in her chest making it hurt. Taking a single breath to speak burned and left her with no choice but to gasp for air sharply.

"Its o.k.," Russell soothed her "I know, you're scared."

Julie shook her head and choked out "Not scared- mad."

But Russell could see her shaking still, her knees trembling so much that he put his hands on them to keep her still.

"Listen," he said "we're gonna figure this out o.k.? I promise I won't let him hurt you again."

Julie nodded as a nurse approached them.

"Family of John Merchiston?" she asked.

"Me," Julie said finding the strength to rise from the chair.

"He's out of surgery," the nurse said "the doctors extracted a bullet from his shoulder, he's going to be o.k."

Julie let out the breath she had been holding in and asked "Can I see him?"

"Not yet," the nurse said "he'll need a few hours in recovery first,"

"Ma'am," Russell said to the nurse "the bullet was it in tact?"

"Yes sir," the nurse said.

"We're going to need it," Russell said "it's evidence in an ongoing investigation."

The nurse nodded and headed back through the OR doors to retrieve it. Julie sank back into the chair relieved yet still on edge. John was safe but now she had a new problem, the attack and whether or not it was Gig Harbor. When the nurse returned with the bullet and handed it to Russell, he thanks her and turned to Julie.

"Come on," he said "lets get you home."

"No," she protested outright "I need to start working, that bullet and the scene, I need to know who did this."

"First off, _we_ will handle it," Russell emphasized the "we" "secondly, you need to change, you'll start a riot if you walk through the lab like that."

He nodded at her bloody clothes.

"Fine," she snapped "I have clothes in my locker now can we please go?"

She had stood up and tossed her purse and laptop bag back over her shoulder roughly, staring at him with desperate eyes.

"O.K," he said "lets go."


	5. Empty Words Surround You

Chapter 5 Empty Words Surround You

Unfortunately, Julie didn't know where to begin. She allowed Russell to drive her back to the lab and guide her through it where, as he predicted, people stared at her bloody dress. It was her favorite and she couldn't bear to lose it, so she snuck into the bathroom after retrieving clean clothes from her locker, changed, and piled the dress into a bag hoping to salvage it in the laundry later. When she came back out, Russell was still waiting for her, Ecklie beside him. The three of them marched down to Eckile's office where he motioned for them both to sit in the chairs in front of his desk.

"I'm so sorry about John," Ecklie said "but we need your statement about what happened, what you saw, everything."

Julie nodded, dreading what was about to happen. She reluctantly replayed the events of the day out loud to Ecklie who scribbled down every detail she uttered onto paper.

"Describe the shooter," Ecklie asked of her next.

"I can't," she said biting her lip and fighting back tears.

"You're a CSI, a trained observer and you can't even describe the guy?" Ecklie asked incredulously.

" _No_ ," Julie insisted choking back a sob, "I'm telling you there _wasn't_ a shooter, I didn't see one, I have no idea where the shots came from."

She trembled again, thinking of John, of all that blood on him, on _her_ hands, literally and figuratively. Russell could see her losing control again so he said "Ease up Conrad, she's been through a lot today."

"I know that," Ecklie said "and I'm sorry, but we need details, anything that might help us catch this guy, if it's Gig Harbor again-

He let that sentence hang in the air, not wanting to fathom what would happen to his department and credibility if this was indeed the act of a jailed serial killer.

"What?" Julie snapped suddenly "does that ruin your campaign?"

"It won't look good," Ecklie said.

"Well I'm sorry if my coma cost you an election," Julie snapped, her voice heavy with sarcasm, "but the only person Gig Harbor wants to hurt is me, maybe this time he'll kill me and you won't have to deal with it on the campaign trail."

"Jules, come on," Russell said "don't think that way."

"Well what am I supposed to think?" Julie asked her voice rising in fear "he called _me_ , he put _me_ in a coma, he wants _me_ dead, DB."

"Didn't you talk to this guy?" Ecklie asked.

"Back in March, yeah," Russell recalled "he asked us to find his mother; he knows she's alive and the reason he and Jared were separated as babies."

"Do we have any leads on her?" Ecklie asked.

Russell and Julie exchanged worried glances now.

"You haven't even been looking have you?" he questioned.

"No," Russell admitted "maybe part of me didn't want to for Jules' sake, but now-

He looked at her, curled up in her seat looking helpless and worried.

"We can open a file on her," Russell begrudgingly agreed to "but _after_ we figure out who shot John Merchiston."

"O.K," Ecklie said "I had Greg, Morgan and Sara head to the hotel and process the lobby, the conference rooms, everything, I'm waiting for an update, in the mean time, you (he nodded at Julie) stay here, talk this over with Russell and try and get a read on this guy, what he's up to, what his next move might be."

"You want us to profile," Russell said "we're not qualified for that."

"I know," Ecklie said "which is why I called for some help."

He waved behind them, motioning for someone. When Russell and Julie turned around, Agent Avery Ryan stepped into the office.


	6. Coming Back With The Thunder

Chapter 6 : Coming Back With The Thunder

"Ms. Ryan is here to coordinate with us," Ecklie explained "since she knows the history of The Gig Harbor Killer and his profile, I believe she will be very valuable to this new investigation."

"Thank you Conrad" Avery said "DB, Julie, how are you?"

She was soft and quiet when she spoke to them, preferring to inquire about their lives before jumping right into work.

"Been better," Julie said sniffling.

"I know," Avery said soothingly "this threat is difficult to comprehend, especially after all you've been through with Winthrop, but I promise, I will do my best to help you and keep you safe, you and your team."

Julie nodded, grateful for Avery's compassion and determination.

"So Ms. Ryan," Ecklie said "where would you like to start?"

Avery asked that she, Russell and Julie meet together in the layout room with every file, every shred of evidence they had on The Gig Harbor Killer both past and current. She assembled a large board with marker lines connecting everything they already knew plus today's new information.

"Paul Winthrop reached out from prison in March 2015," Avery recited from the file "after Julie awoke and recovered from her coma, his request for LVPD to find his mother was his only demand and it was not yet carried out."

Russell looked down at the ground feeling somewhat guilty.

"Then today, Julie was threatened with an ominous phone call," Avery continued "and John Merchiston was shot."

Julie let out the tiny whimper she had been trying to hold in at the memory of today and of John still in the hospital. Russell reached out and gently patted her shoulder comfortingly. Avery turned to Julie and said "I know this is hard, but can you please tell us everything you heard during that phone call."

Julie closed her eyes, picturing the conference, the crowd, the way John held her hand so tight. Her heart ached at the thought of him lying in a pool of his own blood. She trembled at the recollection of her cell phone buzzing violently in her purse only hours ago and that robotic voice declaring that they were the Gig Harbor Killer.

"They, they told me this was a warning," Julie recited when she found her voice again "they said more blood would be shed if I ignored them again, then they told me blood was thicker than water and made me admit that I knew who they were, that they were the Gig Harbor Killer."

She whimpered the last words and turned away from them fighting back more tears as a sharp pain shot through her spine and up to the back of her head radiating throughout her whole body and making her feel numb.

"Again," Avery repeated " _again_ , so that means this person had knowledge of the first meeting back in March and how the request to locate Winthrop's biological mother has gone unnoticed."

"How can we be sure that's what they meant?" Russell asked "What if this is just some copycat trying to mess with us?"

"That's a possibility," Avery said "but the lengths they've taken to contact Julie personally and reference the trauma she went through suggests that this person wants attention but also wants action taken."

They all stayed silent for a moment, thinking this all through, of all the potential dangers that lay ahead if this copycat intended to act further. Julie stared at a spot on the wall, ignoring Avery and Russell until commotion behind her made her turn and look.

Sara, Greg and Morgan had returned from processing the hotel and conference rooms. They carried in two large evidence bags, one containing what looked like pieces of a gun, and the other held a small tablet like device.

"Hey guys," Sara said "we combed that hotel lobby from top to bottom and found this."

She held up the first bag containing the gun.

"What is that?" Russell asked.

"It's a barrel of a gun," Sara explained "we found it hidden inside the wall directly across the hall from the conference room Julie presented in."

"We think it was controlled by this," Greg said holding up the bag containing the tablet "looks like someone was able to activate the gun to fire at a certain time from another location."

"Keeping them out of sight and danger," Morgan concluded.

Julie stared at the device horrified. That was the wretched thing responsible for hurting John. She had the urge to snatch it up and break it into a million pieces but refrained from doing so, knowing there might be evidence on those parts.

"Get that thing processed," Russell said "prints, DNA, everything."

"I'd like to check the tablet," Avery said "I might be able to see when and how it was hacked and controlled."

"After," Russell said more concerned about physical prints that might link them to a suspect "let's keep going over these files."

"What can I do?" Julie asked regaining some of her confidence and determination.

"You are going home," Russell said "you can't process any of this stuff and you need some sleep Jules"

"No," she said firmly "no way, I will not just sit there in that condo and wait for him to find me and use me as a punching bag again DB, I _won't_ "

She snapped the last word feeling her throat burn with the raw emotions that had been building up all day. Though it was completely illogical to think Winthrop was at her condo waiting for her when he was currently locked up at Ely State Prison, she couldn't help but feel as if he were right behind her, sneering at her viciously, calling her worthless and hitting her until all she saw was black.

Russell looked at her, ready to fight with her over her stubbornness but Avery stepped in and said gently "How about Julie and I stay here and talk over the case?" She won't be near the evidence but she'll be safe."

Russell looked from Julie, on the verge of tears to Avery keeping her composure as well as the peace between him and Julie.

"Fine," he said "but if I catch her anywhere near those evidence rooms, she's done."

Then he turned and left the room hoping he wouldn't have to resort to forcefully cutting off someone he cared about so much.


	7. Why Should I Be The One

Chapter 7 Why Should I Be The One

Julie took Avery to the break room where they could sit and work more comfortably. The first thing Avery did was take Julie's cell phone and charger and plug it in to her tablet.

"What are you doing?" Julie asked

"Trying to trace the number that called you," Avery explained but within minutes sighed having found nothing that could identify the caller or location from which they called.

"Nothing," Avery said "well there's still the bullet, the gun and the tablet attached to it."

Julie paced while Avery played on her tablet in silence. She checked her phone anxiously for any texts from the hospital about John or any text from Russell about the case but it remained silent, much to her frustration.

"You have to relax," Avery said "come and sit down."

"I can't," Julie insisted "not until we figure this out."

"That could take days, even weeks," Avery said "and you know that, pacing and worrying won't help."

Julie eyed Avery, hating that she was right but forcing herself into the chair beside her. But even sitting, she fidgeted anxiously, bouncing her leg up and down and taping her fingers on the table. Avery put down her tablet now and looked at Julie.

"So, tell me about John," she inquired smirking.

"Well, he's," Julie began, "he's the most amazing thing to ever happen to me- I never thought I could be so happy with someone."

Avery smiled and said "You deserve to be happy Julie."

"Glad someone thinks so," Julie said "the way my life was going I didn't think it was possible."

She thought back to waking up in that hospital, seeing Russell waiting for her, and then the rest of her team, her friends, then John, all there with her. She didn't want to lose her family so soon after getting them back but whomever this copycat was seemed bound and determined to make sure she was always on edge wherever she went.

"Russell was devastated," Avery continued "your entire team was lost without you, I came to visit when you were in the hospital, I saw them, talked with them, you mean the world to them Jules, and I know they won't let that happen to you again."

Julie nodded, biting her lip and fighting back a fresh round of tears that threatened to fall. She hated being so close to losing control every few seconds but waiting and not knowing was making her stomach hurt. But Avery was so calm and reassuring, she felt slightly more at ease. That was until her phone buzzed making her jump and gasp when she read the message. It was the hospital; John was awake and asking for her.


	8. Give This Everything

Chapter 8: Give This Everything

Julie had to beg Avery to let her leave the lab and return to the hospital to visit John. Avery reluctantly agreed, on one condition, that she accompany Julie as a safety measure. Avery promised not to interfere but instead would wait outside the room until Julie was ready to leave. As anxious as Julie had been to see John and to know that he was o.k., as she approached his room, she suddenly felt nervous. What if he was different? What if he didn't want anything to do with her after this close call with death? What if all he wanted to do was snap at her for getting him in this mess? Those negative thoughts invaded her mind, mixing with the terrible memories of Winthrop's words to her as he hit her that night, " _You're weak," "You're worthless,"_ and she had to bite back more tears.

"Julie?" Avery called to her when she noticed her hesitating at the end of the hallway "is everything o.k.?"

"I don't know," Julie said "I want it to be, I want _him_ to be."

She didn't know why she was torturing herself like this, prolonging the wait when all she had to do was turn the corner and go into the room.

Avery came back to her at the end of the hallway and said "Ill be right here, right outside if you need me, but he's waiting, he wants to see you, that pretty smile will cheer him right up."

She was trying to make her feel better about herself and this whole situation and Julie appreciated that greatly. She nodded in understanding and slowly left Avery's side to peek around the corner and into John's room.

With an incredible sense of relief she sighed, seeing him sitting up in bed and reading from a newspaper made her know that he was at least somewhat like his usual self. She stayed hovering in the doorway as he read, thinking he wouldn't notice but when he called to her, not even needing to look up from the paper to know it was her, she jumped, startled.

"There's a beautiful sight to brighten up this awful room," John said making her smile and let out a tiny sob she had been holding in before stepping into the room at last.

"Hi," she said softly, standing at the end of the bed until he made an effort to reach out to her, wincing in pain but motioning for her to sit with him.

She did, settling on the edge of the bed now and asking "Are you o.k.?"

"Course I am," he said hoarsely still wincing slightly, a tightly wrapped set of bandages on his shoulder visible beneath the hospital gown he wore "nothing a few stitches couldn't fix." "What about you?"

"I'm fine," she insisted sniffling "I was so worried, they wouldn't tell me anything except that you needed surgery and then I had to wait and it was so scary."

She hated admitting her fears, but around John, she really didn't need to hide how she truly felt. He could sense that fear from the moment she stood by the door. Hoping to calm her down, he reached for her hand, squeezing it tight and assuring her with "It's not so bad, really, doctor says I need to rest it and maybe do some therapy but the bullet only pierced a few arteries, nothing bad."

He was being sarcastic which made her laugh but shakily.

"Don't," she begged "don't say that, you lost so much blood, I know- I saw- I tried to help but I couldn't and you almost-

She broke off, unable to say the dreaded word, the thing she feared the most these days yet was always surrounding her. She started to shake and turned away from him to hide her tears.

"Hey," he said gently reaching up to touch her cheek and gently turn her so that she was looking at him again "you were amazing, you stopped the bleeding, you got me help, you saved my life, love."

But she shook her head, more tears falling, feeling as if her efforts were not enough because here he was, all bandaged up and hurting, another innocent life thrown into the violence that surrounded her since February.

"No," he said holding her hand tighter when he felt her trying to pull away "don't do this love, don't beat yourself up over nothing, I'm alive because of you."

To make her understand how sincere he was, he reached up with both hands, wincing when his injured shoulder ached from that motion, but pushing past the pain to hold her face and gently wipe away her tears.

"I'm going to be fine," he insisted making sure her teary eyes met his when he spoke "we both will."

And somehow that was enough, it was the reassurance she needed, hated to have to hear but appreciated it all the same.

"Do you promise?" she asked feeling like a child needing comfort after this nightmare.

With all the strength he had, he sat up to be closer to her, to kiss her forehead and say softly "I promise"


	9. Case In Point

Chapter 9 Case In Point

It took several minutes for Julie to calm down. The events of the last day and a half weighed so heavily on her, physically and emotionally and she was exhausted. Crying in front of John was a new thing for her. She hated herself for losing control like that but his kind words and gentle touch let her know it was o.k. to say how she was feeling, to let it all out instead of burying it deep inside until it ate at her. John watched her carefully, helping her dry her eyes and focus on him.

"Better?" he asked tentatively.

She nodded and said shakily "Thanks, this whole thing is just a mess, I hate it, crying so much, in front of you and everyone and-

"That's what I'm here for," John said squeezing her shoulders "just like you're here for me when I need you, that's what we do, that's love, love."

He smirked at her, that silly grin that made her smile in return.

"Although," John said "I'm pretty sure it's customary for the visiting party to bring the sick and injured a present while they are stuck in the hospital."

He looked at her hopefully, as if she was concealing a gift somewhere. Her eyes grew wide in shock and guilt over not bringing him anything in her rush to get over here.

"I'm sorry," she cried out "I'll go get something, hang on."

She turned to leave which was not what he wanted, having only meant to tease her and cheer her up, only to make things worse, he reached for her hand and held it again.

"I was teasing love," he said "you don't have to leave."

She sniffled, realizing he was trying to calm her down by being funny again only to fail to see that in her fragile state.

"So what happened?" he inquired now "who shot me?"

At this probing question she felt her heart begin to race.

"We don't know," she said "we found this gun and tablet thing that may have been rigged to fire but the guys are processing it now, I'm not allowed to."

She crossed her arms, still upset over that order.

"Why not?" John asked curiously.

"I'm a conflict of interest," she stated "and the fact that Gig Harbor's after me again."

That last statement dropped heavily in the room and made John sit up in alarm.

"What do you mean Gig Harbor?" he asked "the man is in jail and his partners are dead, how?"

"I don't know," she whimpered "after you got shot, I got a phone call, this voice told me that attack was a warning and that they would attack again if I ignored them, they made me say they were Gig Harbor Killer."

"Well what did Russell say?" John asked.

"He doesn't know who it could be," she said crossing her arms and feeling vulnerable again "he wants me to stay away from the case because- well-

"You could be targeted," John finished for her.

She nodded fighting back more tears.

"Remember how he met with me after my coma?" she asked "and he asked us to find his biological mother?" I think this person knows and won't stop trying to get to me until we do."

"That's a possibility," John said "maybe I could do some digging; you said the last place she was hiding was the convent in Seattle? She was hiding in plain sight all along, I can go there and try and find out where she went."

"No," Julie snapped at him "you can't do that, it'll only make things worse, they might go after you again and hurt you worse this time and I can't lose you, I just _can't_."

She started crying again and he knew it was about more than his own desire to risk his life to hunt down this copycat himself.

"Promise me you won't," she choked out.

"All right," he agreed reluctantly "I promise, I'm sorry I mentioned it."

She nodded, grateful for his understanding as a soft tap on the door behind her made her jump. Avery was there looking apologetic for interrupting them.

"I'm so sorry Julie, but Russell needs to see us," she said.

Julie figured they had caught a break in this case at last. She felt on edge with anticipation now.

"I have to go," she told John "I'll be back later, I promise."

"Go get em," he encouraged like he had before her speech at the conference "I'll be right here if you need me."

They kissed goodbye and her hand slipped reluctantly from his as she vacated the bed and followed Avery out of the room.

On the car ride back to the lab, Julie hastily wiped away the few tears that remained before composing herself to meet with Russell and see what he had found. When Avery and Julie returned to the layout room, Russell was there with Sara, Greg, Morgan and Ecklie who was no doubt fishing for an update.

"O.K," Russell said once they were all around the table "we have established a timeline and come to somewhat of a conclusion about the events that occurred today at the conference."

He nodded at Sara to start.

"At two o'clock this afternoon," she began "Julie gave her speech at the conference, at two forty five, she finished and remained on the stage with John Merchiston, at two fifty five, three shots were fired from this device"

She held up the gun barrel still attached to the funny tablet.

"Greg and I ran the software and found that it had indeed been set to fire those shots between two forty five and three this afternoon," she continued. "We were unable to find out where the signal or call was sent from, Avery you might have better luck."

"We found no prints or DNA on the weapon or tablet," Morgan added "there is no security camera footage of anyone placing the device in the wall or anyone lingering to see if the device had worked."

"So, we have nothing?" Julie asked, her breath catching in her chest.

"Actually we have a lot," Avery said "whomever planted this device knew exactly where Julie would be and even had the device rigged to fire those extra shots in case the first one failed, that shows they are confident that their threat would proceed as planned."

"But how did they know I'd be on that stage at exactly that time?" Julie wondered aloud.

"That was a risk they were willing to take," Avery said "even if you or John had escaped uninjured, the shock of the attempted attack would create a panic reaction as the suspect intended." This copycat is ruthless but patient, they are willing to wait and bide their time until they can carry out a bigger threat, but what that is, I have no idea."

The room fell silent. Julie knew everyone had worked hard to bring her this information and some sense of security but at the same time, she knew what this meant.

"I'm dead," she said shivering.

"No, you're not Jules," Russell said.

"Yes I am," she snapped "this creep won't stop trying to get to me, and when he finally does, he'll do what Winthrop tried to do, kill me."

It pained her to think this way and say it out loud. She stood shivering in the layout room, wishing everyone would stop staring at her.

"Hey," Avery said sharply "this is not a death sentence, this is an action plan, we can start working to locate Winthrop's biological mother and find out what drove her to leave that convent in Seattle."

"And if we can't find her?" Julie dared herself to ask.

"The copycat knows we will," Avery said "they won't carry out their next attack unless we fail to even attempt to find her."

Julie looked at Russell, wondering if he believed all of this or was this all just complete nonsense. How were they supposed to locate a woman who worked so hard to remain hidden for so long? Who was this copycat? Were they even looking for Winthrop's mother? Were they just trying to keep his sadistic work alive by continuing to torture her while he was in jail? All these questions bounced around in her head as did the fear and uncertainty of the future. How long would she have to live like this? Maybe that's what the copycat wanted all along. She may have survived the coma, but life spent fearful of every noise and shadow was like a slow, painful death.

A/N- I will be continuing this case in another story that I need to work on and fix a bit more but this will get resolved eventually. Stay tuned for John and Julie fluff.


	10. You And Me In The Summertime

Chapter 10: You And Me In The Summertime

 _One Week Later_

Julie spent the next several days in a state of numb confusion, going about each day feeling as if she were in a trance, never fully able to grasp the details of her day but knowing they were real. She felt as if a wound had been opened and a large red target placed on her back with this looming threat of Winthrop and the copycat. The only thing she could do to give her any sense of control was visit John in the hospital and work on tracking down Paul and Jared's biological mother May Winthrop. All Julie had to work with was the fact that Collin Winthrop had sent his daughter to that Seattle convent after she became pregnant at fifteen with the twins. That preacher Brother Larson was the twin's real father and had no connection to May or the rest of this case since February so he was no help. Julie combed every shred of evidence they had collected in the last year, re-reading files and notes until her eyes burned.

John was recovering well from his injury, doing therapy and set to be released later today. When Julie visited him, his world got brighter. She filled his life with so much love and compassion even when she was rapidly scanning case files or snapping angrily at her slow running laptop that sat perched on her knees during her visits. Often times he had to pull the device away from her to get her to calm down or at least listen to him.

On the day of his release, he was given instructions on what to do and what not to do and how to care for his healing wound. Julie focused on the doctor giving these instructions, knowing John probably wouldn't follow them. When the doctor suggested having family or friends stay with him to help care for him, he protested, until Julie spoke up.

"What if you stay with me?" she asked with hopeful eyes "I know we said we wouldn't live together until we were ready but I want to help you, please?"

Having John with her might not drive thoughts of the lingering case out of her heard but it might mean feeling less vulnerable cooped up in her condo. John was taken aback by her offer but also quite pleased by it.

"I suppose so," he said "I don't want to be a burden."

"You won't be," she assured him sinking onto the bed "it'll be nice, we can watch movies and have dinner, maybe work on the case together."

She threw in a work related thing, still trying to stay professional but also feeling her stomach tingle at the thought of being with him everyday. Relationships terrified her but this one was different and if this was how they were supposed to take the next step, she would let that happen naturally.

"That sounds lovely," John agreed at last making her smile properly for the first time in days.

After signing the paper work and helping gather up all the personal items that had collected in the hospital room during his stay, John was able to leave. Julie drove him back to her condo, glancing at him in the passenger seat every few seconds to make sure he was o.k., eyeing the sling around his arm with a pang of guilt. Once inside her condo, she locked all three of the locks on her door and reset her security system before turning to John and saying "Are you hungry?" I can make us dinner if you want or if you're too tired still you can just sleep and I'll wake you when it's ready, or we can order take out or-

She was stopped mid sentence by him kissing her.

"I really appreciate all of that, love," he said when they separated, then reaching for her hand to hold, he gently guided her over to her couch and made her sit there with him.

"This is all I need right now," he said "to be here with you, everything else can wait."

She smiled again, amazed by his resilience and strength.

So they did exactly as he wanted, staying on the couch and watching TV, flipping between movies, sports for her and the news for him. After finishing another movie, she told him to watch whatever he wanted while she slipped into her bedroom to shower and change. She had finished and was adjusting the sleeve of her favorite sweater she had put on when she heard a loud bang coming from the kitchen. She jumped violently and reached instinctively for the gun in her nightstand, raising it and preparing to fight whoever had invaded her space. She crept along the wall slowly, sliding into the kitchen, gun drawn, finger inches from the trigger only to find herself face to face with John.

"Whoa, easy," he said raising his arms comically "I've already got one injury, I don't need another."

Her heart was hammering in her chest, the fear slowly leaving her when she saw it was only him.

"Why the gun show?" he teased her.

"I heard a noise," she said trembling "I thought-

"Oh _that_ ," John said "sorry love, I was going to surprise you but-

He nodded to the large metal pot that had fallen onto the floor and been the source of the noise she heard.

"I got hungry," he said shrugging.

Julie sighed with relief but still felt her heart race. She closed her eyes, lowered her gun and leaned back against the closest wall, how long was this heightened fear going to cripple her? Her knees gave way, trembling like they had when she was waiting in the hospital for John a week ago and she felt herself slide down the wall and collapse onto the floor, curling up in defeat.

"Hey," John said kneeling down in front of her "what's wrong?"

"I can't live like this," she said looking at him with tear filled eyes "I hear one noise and I almost kill you, this is killing me."

"Its o.k.," John said reaching out to grab her shoulders, feeling the tension in them.

"How is it o.k.?" she challenged him, demanding to know "how is it o.k. to hurt the people I love and put them in danger? How is it o.k. for people like Winthrop to win even when they are in jail? _How?"_

She had dissolved into tears again, this time they were falling too fast for him to wipe away like he had before. Instead he sat with his back to the wall like she was, letting her lean on his uninjured shoulder and sob out all the pain she was feeling.

"I have an idea," he whispered into her hair "I don't know if it'll help but, let's not stay here tonight, let's stay at my place instead."

She glanced up at him, tears still clouding her vision, as she sniffled and nodded in agreement.

John's apartment was a few stories up unlike her condo which sat on the main floor. Though she had been here a few times in the past three years, she couldn't help but stand awkwardly in the foyer as he shut the door and piled up both their coats and bags in the corner. She was still trying to calm down, sniffling occasionally and looking around the apartment with watery eyes.

"Come on," he instructed her, motioning for her to follow him.

"What?" she asked feeling stupid for not paying attention.

"You're going to get some sleep, right now," he practically ordered, getting her to move by tugging on her wrist and guiding her into the bedroom.

"I can't," she said meekly and he knew she had been lying when she told him she was sleeping at home whenever she left the hospital for the day.

"Yes you can," he insisted turning down the covers on the bed, sliding in and patting the space next to him.

She remained standing at the foot of the bed feeling foolish. She had never feared intimacy or being close to someone, but after her coma and this recent turn of events, she felt contaminated, dirty, unworthy of the love and attention John was trying to give her. At the same time, she felt her heart ache with gratitude for him, for the fact that he wasn't abandoning her like she feared but was instead offering to stand with her and fight this nightmare. So she let her heart win and her feet drag her slowly to the bed, crawling into it and laying down, letting her body rest at last. She closed her eyes, feeling them burn from all the crying, her aching head soothed by the coolness of the pillow. She shivered once and felt John pull the covers up around her, tucking her in carefully. When she opened her eyes again to look at him and express her gratitude, he was reaching up to turn off the lamp on the nightstand. She reached for his hand to stop him and say "Leave it, please?"

Fearing the dark was irrational, she knew, but if it made her feel safer, he didn't care. He left it on, raising his uninjured arm and letting her snuggle in against him. As tough as she looked, she was the epitome of affection, always wanting a life like this, someone to come home to, to care for her when she needed it and not care if she stole all the covers. Feeling relaxed and no longer on edge, she did just that, pulling at the covers more, wrapping herself in warmth and burrowing into his side, resting her head on his shoulder.

Within minutes, his protective arm around her, the warm blankets and a single kiss to her forehead had lulled her to sleep. Pleased that she was finally resting, he let out the sigh he had been holding in. This case was eating at her and he was at it's mercy, unable to stop her from throwing herself into her work but always here to pick up the pieces when she felt like she was losing control again. As Agent Ryan had told them, this wasn't over and he knew Julie wouldn't stop fighting until she was completely safe again. What the cost of that fight would be, physically, emotionally, he did not know, nor did he want to think about what might happen if she pushed herself too far. Knowing Julie, she was already in over her head. She couldn't fight this alone and he wouldn't let her no matter how much she protested. Watching over her as she slept, giving her some sense of security was all he could do in the moment, and right now, that was enough.


End file.
